Most athletes understand the importance of the mental game and agree it can be the difference between playing with anger or fear versus playing with confidence and resilience. The reason to improve in this area is similar to all other training areas in sport, to play better. I’ve never met a golfer who didn’t want to shoot lower scores, a baseball player who didn’t want to hit more home runs, a gymnast who didn’t want to stick more skills. I think you see where I am going. Athletes tell me they want to perform better and agree the mental part is key, but the big gap is nearly every one of these athletes has never trained their mind. The big question that remains is why not? Here is why. They have no idea how or where to start aside from “quick tips” like positive thinking, deep breaths and self-talk, which don’t really get us far. For face value it is easier to train our physical and technical skills. We can see or feel changes right away which gives us the instant gratification of change and improvement. Want to make more free throws? Shoot free throws. Want to make better passes on the pitch? Practice passing. It’s a simple formula. Athletes want to improve a skill to “perform better” so they just train the skill over and over and over. Makes sense and seems valuable to a point. How do we explain athletes who can replicate a skill over and over in practice, but have trouble accessing it during games?? I’m sure you guessed it by now. Their MIND.
I want to first address a major mental myth in performance before I provide you the step by step guide. MYTH: “If you train long enough and hard enough your muscle memory will take over under pressure.” NOT TRUE!! Here is why. First off, our muscles don’t have memory. If they did then why can’t people’s leg muscles remember to walk after they are paralyzed in an accident? Our muscles move due to a signal sent from the brain down a neural pathway and finally to the muscle itself. Now that we know muscles don’t have memory but our brains do, what can happen if the brain is interfered with by our emotions and thoughts? Those signals are disrupted and the message to the muscle becomes unclear. The result? We have worse sequencing of our body movements, worse hand eye coordination, worse feel and touch and disrupted decision making. As you can imagine, your ability to perform at a high level will be significantly impacted if those signals from your brain to your muscle aren’t clear. What disrupts these signals? A flawed psychology. If you have negative beliefs, negative mindsets or negative habits in your psychology you are likely disrupting your ability to perform freely. So let’s get into what steps need to take place to eliminate your mind from getting in your own way so you can play freely with confidence and commitment.
Step 1: Uncover what negative beliefs, mindsets, and bad habits are holding you back.
It’s hard to change or correct anything without first knowing what to fix. Doing so blindly can either be a waste of time or even make things worse. Many “Mental Coaches” will address all athletes with the same “fixes.” There is no blue print to change. I created a guide, but by no means does it ever look the same between two athletes. To uncover what is impacting your performance you need to start paying attention on purpose with purpose to your own thoughts. This is a good time to grab a journal. Head to http://www.athleticmindperformance.com. for a free journal prompt. Are you afraid of failure? Perfectionist? Negative nancy? Too hard on yourself? Anxiety? Overthinking? High Expectations? Start noting what mindset and behaviors are not productive for you.
Step 2: Train your awareness
If you’ve ever had some leftover food in your teeth after a tasty meal you probably aren’t aware of it until a good friend, stranger or mirror lets you know. Only once you’re aware can you make a change and clean your teeth. The same principle applies to making mental changes. If you are not aware of when or how you are interacting with negative thoughts, emotions or urges then you will never have a chance to change them. The first question I ask my clients is what are your triggers? How do you know your anger? Anxious? In your head? Giving up? Paying attention to our patterns allows us the ability to recognize them in real time. If I asked you right now how many red cars did you see on the road today you probably would have no idea. Why? Because you weren’t actively paying attention on purpose. If I told you I would give you a dollar for every red car you see tomorrow, I bet you would direct your focus and pay closer attention. How do you train your awareness? Meditation, the practice of paying attention to your inner experience without judgment. There are apps like headspace, calm or even youtube to practice guided meditation for just a few minutes a day. Boring? You bet. If you’re serious about improving your mental game this is a non-negotiable. Remember, you can’t make any changes unless you are first aware of what is going wrong.
Step 3: Being to question your negative thoughts, emotions and habits.
Now once you notice you get angry too easily, maybe overthink when you’re anxious, or dwell and pout over small mistakes. Whatever you recognize is distracting you from the present moment. Most people are told to just “stop doing these things.” You get angry? Just relax. You’re anxious? Take a deep breath and trust yourself. You dwell and pout? Move on, let it go. If only our brains worked this easily. Unfortunately, telling our brains to do the opposite of what we don’t like isn’t going to get us very far. Therapists are exceptionally skilled in asking the right questions and never telling their clients how to think. If a client comes in and tells me they get angry after a mistake and it takes them out of the game mentally here is how I might reply.
- What are the first signs of your anger starting?
- What does it feel like in your mind or body?
- What are the common thoughts that come with your anger?
- Does it feel good to get angry after a mistake?
- Does it help you play better?
- What about mistakes makes you so angry?
- Where do you think these thoughts of having to be perfect or successful came from?
- Are you willing to challenge or question these thoughts and beliefs?
- Does it make playing more or less fun?
- What do you think when you see other athletes get angry?
These are simple examples into the many questions that help athletes begin to rethink how their thoughts, emotions and bad habits are contributing to their poor performance.
Step 4: Replace old patterns of negative thinking and behaving with more productive options.
After asking yourself a series of questions to challenge your old ways, your brain is now ready to reconsider a new and more productive choice. Research makes it clear the two most productive options to perform freely with confidence are Acceptance and Goundedness in the present moment. Another mental myth I often challenge is “don’t think negatively.” If we are talking about past mistakes I can see this working, but when athletes are worried about poor outcomes trying not to think of it isn’t the best strategy. I encourage athletes to go against this theory and share with me what their biggest fears are. Here are some questions I might ask and questions you can ask yourself.
- What are you worried about most?
- What if this actually happens?
- What will it mean about you?
- What will it mean about your future?
- Can you handle this reality?
- How can you accept this outcome even if it is painful?
Our brains are designed to protect us from danger, physical or emotional. In most cases this works well to keep us alive, but if we perceive failing in sport as dangerous our brain’s response is not very effective. Our brains first response to threat is avoidance. We become overly protective, careful, avoidant, over controlled. How well do you play your sport under these conditions? I’m guessing not great. I encourage athletes to call out their fears, go face to face with them. Only then can you choose to accept them. Athletes cannot play free in the present without first accepting fears, mistakes, and distractions. Athletes don’t think in positive or negatives, they think in pursuit or avoidance. If you’re not careful you’re likely playing out of avoidance. Mental training and effort is necessary to pursue with full freedom in the present. This is how we can access flow state, how we play and feel our best. This is why the best athletes in the world train their mind.